2018 NBA Atlantic Division Betting Odds

As the season grows closer we’ll take a look at each division’s betting odds and try to build a better picture of the 2018 NBA season. We start today with the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference which is one of the easier ones to project.

The reason, of course, is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won this division last season and the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are expected to repeat again this year. Last year’s team was led by a superhuman effort from Isaiah Thomas, but he has since moved on as the Celtics traded him to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. They also lost Jae Crowder in that deal, but gained Gordon Hayward in free agency. Going from a team with one top scorer (who was under six feet tall) to Irving and Hayward is a huge, huge upgrade and this team could challenge 60 wins.

Throw in likely improvements from Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart as well as rookie Jayson Tatum and veteran, floor spacing center Al Horford and this team should win this division easily. There is only one team that can even attempt to challenge them.

That team is the Toronto Raptors who were the top seed in the East just two years ago. You know exactly who the DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry Raptors are. They live and die with those two players. A full season of Serge Ibaka is going to be interesting, Jonas Valanciunas remains an interesting piece and Jakob Poeltl could take a leap this year. You have Norman Powell who is always exciting when he plays and dying for more minutes. The problem with this team is that it is just stagnant. Dwane Casey is shockingly still employed here and unless they get a bit more creative this year, it’s hard to see them challenging the Celtics.

The Philadelphia 76ers are going to be exciting this year. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Robert Covington and Markelle Fultz is a really fun, really exciting core and if they are able to stay healthy this could be a playoff team this year and a big threat down the line. The health thing is a big if though, especially when it comes to Embiid. I like this team to make the playoffs, but these aren’t odds to make the playoffs. These are odds to win the division and I really don’t give them much of a chance to do that. +750 isn’t high enough.

The bottom of the division will be made up of the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. The Nets could be better than they’ve been in years, but it doesn’t seem likely that they will threaten anyone. Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell will be fun, but the loss of Brook Lopez hurts.

The Knicks will finally be the Kristaps Porzingis show and that is great news for Knicks fans, but the pieces surrounding him aren’t what’s needed to win a division. Or make the playoffs. Honestly, I’d flip flop the bottom two odds.